Hello everyone,
I am a rising sophomore in high school and I need help with course selections. I have a few options open for me in mathematics. I can either take Algebra 2 as a 10th grade, go on to PreCalc in 11th grade and then AP Calculus AB/BC in 12th grade. If I take that path, I will most likely get a better grade and probably also get A in Algebra 2 since I learned some of that material already.
Another option is to take a honors math course (which gives no additional honors credit) which covers half of Algebra 2 (I already learnt the other half of Algebra 2 in 9th grade) and all of precalc in 10th grade. Then I got to AP Calculus AB/BC in 11th grade and get more advanced options in 12th grade. However, the disadvantage of this is that I will probably get a worse grade, probably B or B+.
I am planning to major in Biology. Can someone please give me advice or suggestoins on which course I should take? If I take Algebra 2, would that look bad on College applications since I won’t get to AP Calc when I apply to colleges?
Thanks!
Go for the path where you think you will get the better grades. Reaching AP Calculus AB by Senior year is perfectly fine.
Many people go to college without ever having calculus in high school. Your “slower path” is actually faster than the standard path of many college bound students. There will be no harm to going on the slower path.
Slow path. What colleges care most about is your GPA, not how fast you’re progressing in school. GPA + Test scores if they require test scores. Currently with covid and pressures from peer schools dropping test requirements, many more schools are going test optional.
Do not worry about AP classes. They are overhyped by parents and schools. Schools want you to take AP classes because many districts and schools are judged by the percentage of students taking X number of APs. Parent believe that APs will get you “into a good college.” In reality few colleges, even highly rated ones, care how many APs you take. Very few colleges care about how many APs you take – it’s worth repeating several times.
Most colleges, outside of maybe the top 15 on USNWR care at all and many of the top 15 don’t care that much. Take only the AP classes that actually interest you, and feel no pressure to take any others. 70% of colleges in the US do not fill all of their seats. With covid and the population drop (fewer babies born) even more colleges will be short of students – they are less picky. They maintain the myth that it’s really hard to get into college. That’s a lie.
College is easy to get into. But getting into a college that you can afford is a different issue. That can be hard.
So best strategy is to keep your GPA very high, practice and get high marks on your SAT/ACT (IKhan academy) and then you’ll be competitive for either 1) schools that give great need-based aid – they tend to be high on the USNWR list but use COLLEGE NAVIGATOR to check net price and 2) schools that give good merit aid (aim to be in the top 25% of their application pool to pull down merit aid.)
Best of luck to you.
Your “slow path” is the +1 math track, appropriate for good-in-math students, while your “fast path” is the +2 math track, appropriate for really-good-in-math students. (The normal college prep math track ends with precalculus in 12th grade, with the student ready to take calculus frosh year in college.)
The advantages of the +2 math track over the +1 math track are mainly limited to students who are really-good-in-math and going into majors requiring math beyond single variable calculus (biology is not usually such a major). Since you do not think that you will do as well in the +2 math track, and your major is not likely to require math beyond single variable calculus (although it may prefer or require calculus-based statistics), the +2 math track is unlikely to add value to you.
Strength of curriculum is the second most important factor in admissions, according to the most recent NACAC survey, so I wouldn’t dismiss it so quickly. GPA matter “most” but the gap isn’t that big.
Fortunately, as mentioned, Calc as a Senior will generally be considered a rigorous path by admissions officers.
@phinease please do not ignore your humanities, even though for you math and science may be important; but pushing envelopes in humanities will make you more successful in life. Slow down in math and smell the journey of life through humanities. Go and indulge in history, English, Psychology, Philosophy, economics, music and art etc. And I say this whose kid did AP BC cal by 10th grade. But they indulge equally in humanities and enjoyed it. I wish I have taken more humanities courses while in high school and college.
Your slow path would actually be considered a fast track byost colleged since you end with calculus. Therefore theres no real benefit to you in taking the other path. 
Make sure you also have English, History/social science, science every yezr, as well as a foreign language theough level4. Add a couple classes you really want to take (computer principles, culinary arts, environmental science, shop…) and enjoy your HS years. 
Hello @Gumbymom @me29034 @Dustyfeathers @ucbalumnus @RichInPitt @casinoofny @MYOS1634 , thanks a lot for your replies !! Your replies has really helped me and will aid me when I make my decision. But I have a question here. If I my intended major as of right now (Biology) changes when I apply to colleges to another subject like Chemistry, Physics or Computer Science, do you think being on the slower path for math will be a disadvantage for my major and for my college application? Does Chemistry, physics or Computer science as a major require a lot of math?
CS would require the most Math courses usually Calc 1-3, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra and a couple of Stats classes followed by Physics and then Chemistry. Reaching Calculus by Senior year should prepare you for college Math. If you do not feel confident going into college with your Math skills even having Calculus under your belt, you can always retake Calculus in college for a strong foundation.
Typical math requirements in college:
- Biology: single variable calculus, statistics
- Chemistry: single variable calculus; sometimes: multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations
- Physics: single variable calculus, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations; recommended for those going to graduate school: real analysis, complex analysis, and other upper level math courses
- Computer science: single variable calculus, linear algebra, discrete math, calculus-based statistics, computer science theory courses that are like math courses; recommended for some specialties: abstract algebra, number theory
However, completing calculus AB (= first semester of single variable calculus) or BC (= first and second semesters of single variable calculus) in high school is more than enough for entry to college in any major. Despite what you may see on these forums, completion of college math beyond calculus BC is unusual.
I would take the slower path. I am not sure however that I would call it “slower”. Perhaps “not quite as accelerated” might be more like it.
To me you only want to jump ahead in math if you are almost certain to get A’s or A+'s. I would not even be happy with an A- in an accelerated math series of classes. One issue is that what you learn in math next year is going to be very dependent upon what you learned in math this year. Also, a lot of things depend upon math. As one example, as a biology major I am pretty sure that you will need to take some physics. Physics depends very heavily on math. You want to learn this stuff solidly.
I did not take calculus until I arrived at university. This did not stop me from being a math major at a highly ranked university. The point is that I learned everything leading up to calculus very well, so that when I did take it I was ready.